The anime market outside of Japan grew a record 26% in 2024, according to an October 2025 report from the Association of Japanese Animations (AJA). This extends a period of growth for the anime market (beyond Japan) that has been ongoing since 2012. Revenue growth for the Japanese market, meanwhile, was just 2.8% in 2024, […]
Archive | Character/Entertainment
Happy Pop-Culture Holiday
May the Fourth be with you on this Star Wars Day. To celebrate, it seems like a good time to take a look at the common phenomenon of property-centric “holidays” like this one, of which there are many. These pop culture events often simply commemorate the date the property first launched. But often the hook […]
Commuting With Cartoon Characters
By Karen Raugust on April 16, 2026 in Character/Entertainment, Experiential licensing, International, Licensing
In Japan, collaborations with subway and train systems are a frequent form of experiential licensing featuring anime and video game characters. The different regional systems under the Japan Railways umbrella are common collaborators, but many other train operators, both public and private, are also players in this space. On the licensor side, Nintendo is a […]
Studios’ Altcasts Play the Long Game
Character-centric altcasts of pro sports events have become regular occurrences over the past five years, with three of the four of the biggest U.S. pro sports leagues; studios including Disney, Nickelodeon, and Warner Bros.; and networks including ESPN, TNT, and CBS all involved. These alternative viewing feeds are real-time simulcasts of pro sports games in […]
Fans See Good Hair Days Ahead
As more fans of pop-culture characters spend time creating sophisticated costumes to wear at conventions, fan fests, Halloween parties, or other get-togethers with like-minded friends, haircare brands have increasingly targeted cosplayers, professional and amateur, as a niche but loyal market for products such as hair paste and semi-permanent hair coloring. Licensing is increasingly coming into […]
Jazzing Up Home-Brewed Java
By Karen Raugust on January 12, 2026 in Celebrity, Character/Entertainment, Corporate brands, Food/Beverage, Licensing
Marketers of coffee creamers — including traditional, cold foam, and vegan offerings — have dramatically expanded their licensing and collaboration activities over the past five years or so. The trend began with food and beverage brands bringing their flavor profiles into the category. Collaborations with TV and other entertainment properties followed, resulting in products that […]
Long, But Not Forever
Over the holidays, the news came out that Paramount Consumer Products and its Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are parting ways with licensee Playmates when their current agreement expires at the end of 2026, closing the latter’s 38-year run as the property’s master toy partner. The end of the relationship is significant not only for the […]
Lighting The Winter Nights
By Karen Raugust on December 22, 2025 in Character/Entertainment, Experiential licensing, Holiday, Licensing
Winter light displays in Japan, of which there are many, are festive events meant as destinations to bring people together in the dark winter months and to put forth an aura of hope and magic. The practice began in a big way in the 1990s. The peak time period each year occurs during the Christmas […]
Not The Same Old Song and Dance
Established cartoon characters have appeared in pop stars’ music videos occasionally over the years, including Beavis and Butt-Head in a recording of Cher’s “I Got You Babe” (1993), Popeye and Friends in Wilco’s “Dawned on Me” (2012), and Rick and Morty in Run the Jewels’ “Oh Mama” (2018). In the second half of 2025, there […]
Start Stitching
Licensed crochet patterns and kits, particularly of small, amigurumi-style stuffed creatures, are experiencing a high in 2025, with many new deals building on the steady growth of the craft, and licensing’s role in it, since the early 2000s. Easily available patterns on the Internet, the rise of crocheting influencers, and sales of finished products by […]